Aerosol valve actuator button



May 27,1969 w; c. BEARD, JR., Em. 3, 6, 78

AEROSOL VALVE ACTUATOR BUTTON Sheet Filed Jan. 5, 1967 Ell /flit l lllll I/ INVENTORS.

WALTER C. BEARD JR. PAUl M K0708) May 27, 1969 w. c. BEARD, JR., ETAL 3,44 7

AEROSOL VALVE ACTUATOR BUTTON Filed Jan. :5, 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 INV EN TORS.

WALTER c. BEARD JR. BY PAUL M. Kama) United States Patent 3,446,478 AEROSOL VALVE ACTUATOR BUTTON Walter C. Beard, Jr., Middlebury, and Paul M. Kotuby,

Naugatuck, Conn., assignors to The Risdon Manufacturing Company, Naugatuck, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Jan. 3, 1967, Ser. No. 606,653 Int. Cl. F16k 31/16, 31/00 US. Cl. 251-297 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention pertains to an actuator button for aero-' The invention herein described pertains to an actuator button for aerosol or pressurized dispensing packages for fluid products, and more particularly to an actuator of this type which is designed to be pre-assembled with the valve or other dispensing control means after the container has been filled, without causing premature or accidental discharge of the product.

It is desirable in connection with the usual filling operation at an aerosol loading plant, when the product is placed in the container and the valve assembly sealed into the mouth thereof, to avoid actuation of the valve in the process of assembling the actuator button thereto, since such preliminary valve actuation leads to problems of contamination and deterioration of the contained product, or to unsightliness of the consumer package. The present invention is directed to means for attaching the actuator to the valve assembly in such manner that the danger of cracking the valve during this assembling process is minimized, yet the actuator is retained against loss during subsequent handling or shipping to which the container may be subjected.

It is also desirable in certain instances in attaching the actuator button to the valve to orient the discharge orifice of the button radially of the valve assembly. It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a simple arrangement for accomplishing this objective.

In still another application, there is need for effecting a continuous venting of the aerosol container, as by holding the valve constantly in its open position. One of the objectives, therefore, is to provide an aerosol actuator button which is capable of effecting this.

In brief, the novel actuator button is specifically formed to cooperate in a particular and novel way with portions of the usual or conventional mounting flange of an aerosol valve assembly to effect the foregoing objectives. T 0 this end, the actuator body is provided with a depending skirt which telescopically receives a portion of the valve mounting flange when the actuator is placed in a preliminary or partially assembled position relative to the stem of the valve. This depending skirt is formed with means causing an interference fit with the aforesaid portion of the valve assembly, which interference occurs in the assembly process prior to full valve-operating engagement of the actuator with the operating stern of the valve. Thus the actuator body can be preassembled to an extent suflicient to prevent its accidental disengagement and loss thereafter, while still avoiding accidental opening of the valve in the process.

As a further development of the same inventive concept, additional means is employed on the actuator which comes into play only upon depression of the valve stem beyond a normal operating position, whereupon the stem is retained in its fully depressed (valve-open) position to effect continuous venting of the container.

In addition, the invention contemplates taking advantage of normally present non-circular cross-sectional portions of the valve assembly, adjacent to the actuator, to prevent or restrain rotation of the actuator about the axis of the valve when assembled thereto.

The foregoing concepts are specifically illustrated in several embodiments of the invention described in detail hereinafter and shown in the following drawings, in which: I

FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are views in front elevation, top and bottom plan, respectively, of a typical actuator button of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a view in vertical section of an actuator like that of FIG. 1 pre-assembled to an aerosol valve, parts being broken away for greater clarity;

FIG. 5 is a detail fragmentary view of a portion of the actuator button of FIGS. 1-4.

FIG. 6 is a view in cross-sectional elevation showing a modified form of actuator button fully assembled with the valve in position for dispensing product from a container;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the actuator seen in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view in section on line 8-8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view, similar to that in FIG. 6 but showing a further modified form of actuator on a valve assembly and container, wherein the valve is retained in vent position by the actuator; and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary detailed view of a portion of the actuator seen in FIG. 9.

Referring to FIGS. l-4, actuator button 20 is formed of molded plastic of substantial rigidity yet having good resiliency, such as polyethylene. The button is of generally circular cross-section having an upper body portion 22 which is provided on its under surface with a stepped valve stem-receiving socket 24 within which the upper end of valve stem 25 is adapted to fit and, when fully seated in the socket, to about against step 26 formed in the button of the socket. Body 22 is additionally provided with a spout 28 having a duct or passage 30 making communication interiorly with socket 24 and controlling the form and orienting the direction of discharge of the product when dispensed from container 31. Body 20 of the actuator is provided With the usual depending outer skirt 32 which fits within the cup of mounting flange 33 by which the valve assembly is mounted in the mouth of the container. Skirt 32 serves primarily to protect the upper surface of the valve mounting and prevent accumulation of dirt.

Actuator 20 is provided with a second or inner skirt 34 which is generally concentric of the skirt 32 and which is dimensioned to make a close sliding fit about the periphery of the usual centrally located upstanding hollow boss 36 of the typical aerosol valve mounting flange, as seen in FIG. 4. This boss is crimped or necked, as at 38, to grip a portion of the valve housing 40 and to retain it in the mounting flange 33 in conventional manner. The mounting flange 33 is adapted to be received in the mouth of a standard metal or plastic container in which it is secured by rolling the wings 44 of the flange about a circular lip at the mouth of the container. The inward necking of boss 36 thus forms an enlarged head portion 46 which joins neck portion 38 forming an annular shoulder 48 on the boss.

As mentioned, inner skirt 34 is so dimensioned as to make a close sliding fit with the enlarged head 46 of boss 36. However, at the lower or free edge of skirt 34, a series of bumps or projections 50 are formed around the inner periphery of the skirt. These project radially inward and thus restrict the free opening in the bottom of the skirt, leaving an open cross-sectional area which is slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of head 46 of the boss. Thus, when the actuator 20 is placed in position for assembly with the valve so that the stem is aligned with socket 24 of the actuator, detents 50 initially interfere with the free sliding reception of boss 36 within the skirt 34. However due to the resiliency of the material from which the actuator is formed, skirt 34 and detents 50 may be temporarily expanded as the latter are forced over the head 46 of the boss until a position is reached where the detents 50 have passed over shoulder 48, whereupon they align themselves opposite the necked portion 38 of the boss. At this point, which is the condition illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper end of valve stem 25 has still not made abutting contact with step 26 in the bottom of the stem-receiving socket 24 of the actuator. Thus the actuator is preassembled to the valve in a manner to prevent accidental disengagement from it, but still no pressure has been applied to valve stem 25 which would cause it to open the valve and allow product within the container either to rise in the dip tube or discharge through duct 30.

Thus the actuator and valve assembly are effectively retained as a unitary grouping ready for use by the mere application of finger pressure to the upper surface of body 22 of the actuator. Upon applying such pressure, abutment then occurs between the upper end of valve stem 25 and step 26 in the socket 24. This condition is illustrated for the modified button shown in FIG. 6. Continued downward axially pressure on the button moves valve stem 25 down against the action of spring 54 so that the valve seat 56 is moved downwardly away from the sealing grommet 58, allowing product to discharge upwardly through the dip tube, through the hollow interior of valve housing 40, communicating orifice 60 and into the discharge duct 62 of stem 25, all in conventional manner. Such condition is illustrated for the embodiment seen in FIG. 9.

The actuator shown in FIGS. 1-4 is further provided with a series of friction nibs 64 which are also spaced circumferentially about the inner surface of skirt 32, immediately above detents 50, and are elongated axially of the valve stem. They serve principally as means for preventing wobbling of the actuator 20 on the valve assembly before the actuator has fully engaged valve stem 25. The nibs 64 serve also to guide the actuator into proper abutment with the valve stem.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 further illustrate the utilization of the usual non-circular neck portion of the typical aerosol valve mounting flange as a means for restraining rotation of an actuator button 20' about the axis of the valve, thus permitting orientation of the discharge orifice relative to the valve axis. In the typical valve assembly, the mounting flange 33 is crimped inwardly about the valve housing below the upper end thereof to retain the housing, valve stem, sealing grommet, etc., in assembled condition and to support the assembly in the container. The valve housing 40 is necked, as at 42, so that the neck 38 of boss 36 on flange 33 can be compressed inwardly and locked under the lip of housing 40. When thus crimped, neck portion 38 of boss 36 assumes a generally square or at least non-circular cross section, as shown for example in FIG. 8. By making the detent means of the actuator in the form of a plurality of peripherally spaced protrusions spaced to cooperate with the sides or flats of necked portion 38, the protrusions thus serve to restrain rotational movement of actuator button 20' on the assembly. As seen in FIGS. 7 and 8, protrusions 66 correspond to detent 50 in the previous embodiment but are arcuate in extent and are equal in number to the number of sides on the neck portion. Thus the protrusions form gaps which receive the corners 68 of the crimped neck 38 of the mounting flange, locking the actuator button against rotation about the axis of stem 25 while freely permitting vertical reciprocation of the button.

In the further modified actuator button 70 shown in FIG-S. 9 and 10, the arrangement is essentially similar to that previously described in that the button has a depending skirt 72 provided with pre-assernbly detent means 74 and friction nibs 76, the detent means in this instance, however, being in the form of a continuous annular rib immediately adjacent the free edge of the skirt. In addition, skirt 72 is provided with a series of detent projections 78 spaced axially inward of the first detent means. The spacing between the planes of detents 74 and 78 is greater than the width (axial extent) of shoulder 80 on the enlarged head 82 of boss 84 of mounting flange 86. This arrangement permits the actuator to be pre-assembled to the valve as before by forcing detent 74 over shoulder 80, whereupon the shoulder is then positioned between the adjacent detents 74, 78. Since the spacing is greater than the axial extent of shoulder 80, actuator 70 is free to permit depression of it by the user to operate the valve in normal manner. This actuator may, however, be used to hold the valve continuously in full open position simply by forcing the second or inner detents 78 over shoulder 80. In order to positively lock the valve in its open position, inner detents 78 may be made to project radially inward of the head to a slightly greater extent than the outer detents 74. Furthermore, the inner face or surface of nibs 78 is made substantially flat to form a sharp-edged shelf which locks under shoulder 80, whereas the outer or under surface of detents 78 is sloped inwardly to facilitate the passage of the detents over the shoulder when the actuator is pushed to this continuous vent position. In this embodiment of the invention, it is of course necessary to provide clearance between the bottom of skirt 72 and the mounting flange to allow the actuator to be pushed downwardly on the central boss to this depressed position. Such clearance can be provided either by axially extending the neck portion of boss 84 as shown in FIG. 9, or it may be done by providing an annular recess in the upper surface of the mounting flange so-sized as to receive the skirt.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the outer set of detents 74 could be omitted from actuator button 70 if it is desired to provide only the continuous vent feature of the invention and to eliminate the pre-assembly or nozzle orientation aspects previously described. Other changes are obviously possible in respect to the particular configuration of the detent means. And of course the final discharge outlet in the actuator body can be modified from the form shown in the drawings, which is for dispensing a foam product, to adapt the actuator for producing a jet or a fine mist, as the particular circumstances may dictate.

What is claimed is:

1. In a valve assembly for a fluid product dispensing container including valve means, a mounting flange therefor and an actuator button, wherein said mounting flange has a central upstanding hollow boss with an enlarged head and an adjacent reduced neck portion forming a shoulder, said boss having a central aperture in its top through which a tubular valve stem projects and in which said valve stem is axially reciprocable to effect actuation of the valve, the improvement which comprises:

(a) skirt means depending from said actuator button and encircling said boss in telescoping relation thereto;

(b) detent means projecting radially inward from said skirt to provide a free opening of smaller cross section than the head of said boss but greater than that of the neck;

(c) said skirt and detent means being sufliciently resilient to permit said means to be forced over the shoulder of said boss into coincidence with the reduced neck thereof, said detent means being positioned axially inward of the free edge of said skirt a distance at least as great as that required to depress the valve stem to open position, in order to permit said detent means to pass over and lock behind the shoulder on said boss and retain said valve stem in said last position.

2. An actuator button as defined in claim 1, wherein the detent means is composed of a plurality of peripherall spaced integrally formed protrusions on said skirt, said protrusions having a substantially sharp shoulder adapted to be engaged behind the shoulder on said mounting flange boss to lock the valve stem in dispensing position when said button is fully depressed.

3. An actuator button as defined in claim 1, wherein said reduced neck portion of said boss is of non-circular cross section and wherein there is also included second detent means spaced axially outwardly of the first such means on said skirt so as to be positioned adjacent the free edge thereof, said second detent means comprising a plurality of peripherally spaced integrally formed protrusions which register with the non-circular portion of the reduced neck portion of said boss to restrain rotation of said button about said boss.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,075,709 1/ 1963 Green 239579 3,209,960 10/ 1965 Green 239337 X 3,301,444 I 1/1967 Wittke 251-353 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,418,921 10/1965 France; 1,432,117 2/ 1966 France.

424,662 11/1966 Switzerland.

M. CARY NELSON, Primary Examiner.

MICHAEL O. STURN, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 251353 

